Simon Gikandi
James Ogude
Ndirangu Wachanga
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ
Mumbi wa Ngũgĩ
Ndũcũ wa Ngũgĩ
Nyambura Sallinen
Wangũi wa Goro
Karen Lawrence
Colette LaBouff
Angela Davis
Adriana Johnson
Mukul Kumar
Carla Wilson
Paa Kwesi-Heto
Akosua Adomako Ampofo
Chimee Adịọha
Baba Badji
Jaye Austin Williams
Cilas Kemedjio
Anindo Marshall
Kwame Rĩgĩĩ
Nii Armah Sowah
Sela Adjei
Victor Nani Agbeli
Mumbi Ngũgĩ
Fred Moten
Jimmy Centeno
Idza Luhumyo
Bwesigye Bwa-Mwesigire
Rah Hite
Tyrus Miller
Jane O. Newman
Jerry Lee
Ketu Katrak
Gabriele Schwab
David Theo Goldberg
Rajagopalan Radhakrishnan
Cecelia Lynch
S. Ama Wray
Munyao Kilolo
Glaydah Namukasa
Joel Veenstra










Rah Hite





Rah Hite’s practice is marked by technical curiosity, cultural critique, and a visionary approach to composition—situating them at the forefront of a new generation of artists redefining what academic and electronic music can be. is a composer, beatmaker, multi-instrumentalist, and turntablist from Delaware, USA, whose innovative work explores the intersections of jazz, hip-hop, and experimental electronic music. A skilled performer on piano, saxophone, 808s, and trap drums, Rah’s music blends technical precision with deep rhythmic intuition, creating genre-fluid compositions that push aesthetic and cultural boundaries.

Currently pursuing a PhD in Composition and Computer Technologies, Rah is deeply committed to bridging avant-garde composition techniques with vernacular musical languages. Their music is both a study and celebration of community-based creativity, reflecting a belief that experimental sound can be rooted in everyday life and cultural memory.

Rah Hite’s practice is marked by technical curiosity, cultural critique, and a visionary approach to composition—situating them at the forefront of a new generation of artists redefining what academic and electronic music can be.







The Celebration of the Life and Work of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is made possible through the support of the:

UCI Office of the Chancellor
Dean of the School of the Arts
Dean of the School of Humanities
Dean of the School of Social Sciences
Humanities Center
International Center for Writing and Translation
UCI Interdisciplinary Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality
Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies
Office of Inclusive Excellence
UCI Illuminations: The Chancellor's Arts & Culture Initiative
Alex Glasser The Center for the Power of Music and Social Change
Department of Anthropology
Department of Comparative Literature
Department of Drama
Department of English
Department of Dance

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Organized by:

Adriana Johnson
Jane O. Newman
Gabriele Schwab
Ketu Katrak
Jerry Lee
Cecelia Lynch
S. Ama Wray